The Indonesian national team finally recorded their first victory in the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup? against Saudi Arabia. The victory also ended Indonesia's goal drought in recent matches.
Playing at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta on 19 November, the Garuda defeated the Green Falcons 2-0. A brace from Marselino Ferdinan sealed the victory for Indonesia. The win earned Indonesia three points and left them third in Group C behind Japan and Australia.
Indonesia Set New Southeast Asian record
To date, the Indonesian national team have collected six points in the third round of 2026 World Cup qualifying. This puts Indonesia ahead of Vietnam's performance in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers (four points) and Thailand's record in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers (two points).
Group C: No Room for Error
Compared to Groups A and B, the competition in Group C is far more intense. In the other two groups, there is a huge gap between the top and bottom teams. Kyrgyzstan and North Korea in Group A and Kuwait and Palestine in Group B have struggled to make an impact, with only three and two points respectively in Group A and four and three in Group B.
It's no surprise that Group C in the third round of Asian Zone qualifying for the 2026 World Cup has been dubbed the "Group of Death".
With the exception of Japan, the competition in Group C is extremely tight, with only a few points separating the five teams in the group. Despite this, Japan have maintained their position as the strongest team in the group. Their recent victory over China further cemented their dominance. With 16 points from six games, Japan have shown remarkable consistency and remain a formidable force.
The fierce competition in Group C is reflected in the small difference in points between the teams in second to fifth place. Australia are in a relatively safe position with seven points. Meanwhile, Indonesia have leapfrogged Saudi Arabia on goal difference, despite both teams having the same number of points.
Bahrain and China, on the other hand, have the same number of points as Indonesia and Saudi Arabia but are lower in the standings due to an unfavourable goal difference.
Critical Games for Qualification
The four remaining matches in Group C of the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers are pivotal for the teams vying for a spot. Any loss could jeopardize their chances of advancing to the World Cup.
There are two potential qualification scenarios for the teams in Group C: finishing second behind Japan or securing third or fourth place to progress to the fourth round of qualifiers.
